Years ago, I worked part-time as a telemarketer to earn some additional income. The goal was to set appointments for a sales representative to meet with the person on the other end. We called for a few hours at a time, had a lunch break and called again. In addition to a base salary, I earned bonuses (a quarter) for every confirmed appointment. This could result in up to an additional dollar per hour on a particularly successful day.

I lasted exactly three months. One day, I pulled into the office complex parking lot and a feeling of such aversion and dread came over me that I just could not work one more day at that job. I went in and quit on the spot.

I figure, in only three months, that I must have called a few thousand businesses and homes. As a result, I have a well-earned appreciation for the difficult job it is to call people out of the blue to sell them something they are not looking to buy.

In my opinion, the best way to handle a telemarketer you do not want to speak with is to cut him or her off at the earliest possible time with a, "No thank you," and hang up. This allows the caller to move on to the next prospect without a lot of time wasted.

Think about it, if you let the caller get to the end of a really long speech and say “No”, who benefits?

You? Nope. You wasted a lot of time listening to a spiel.

The telemarketer? Definitely not. You got someone's hopes up and then lost that guy or gal their quarter.

Just last week I answered a sales call at work. I took my own advice and politely ended the conversation quickly. Even in my work today, I have used knowledge from that less-than-perfect job.

Think about what nuggets of wisdom you learned from former jobs, part-time or otherwise. You may not realize the important lessons you took away with you, even from those short-lived or terrible work experiences.

You'll be surprised at the little (and big) ways they have impacted or influenced things you do today. And that in itself is worth at least a quarter!